Valor Mortis: Shackled Walkthrough (Chapter X, Napoleon’s Prison)
How to escape the cell, reclaim your gear from the Armoury, and finish the chapter at the sewer ladder.
How to escape the cell, reclaim your gear from the Armoury, and finish the chapter at the sewer ladder.
by AllThingsHow Staff
Chapter X of Valor Mortis strips William of his shackles and every weapon, then drops him into a guarded prison with only his glowing fire hand. The way out runs through the dungeon cells to a locked Armoury, where a red chest hands your equipment back, and ends on a ladder past a sewer Lantern.
Armoury Key pickup. Image: One More Level / via @ShirrakoArmoury chest with your gear. Image: One More Level / via @Shirrako
Quick answer: Take the Armoury Key from the candlelit guard room, open the iron gate, grab your gear from the red chest in the Armoury, rekindle the sewer Lantern, then climb the ladder beside it.
Where Shackled begins
After you take the relic, you are captured and come to in a prison cell. Maria, a noblewoman, waits at the cell entrance, frees you from your shackles, and orders you to return to the cave. You regain control without any gear; leaving through the iron cell door brings up “SHACKLED / NEW MAIN QUEST CHAPTER”.
You carry no weapon until you reach the Armoury, so this entire opening stretch is about staying out of sight of the patrolling guards.
Go into the cell beside yours and collect the Prisoner’s Note. Its writer complains about the hanged man opposite. Farther along the corridor, another cell door displays “This door is locked.”
Move quietly through the hallways and stay out of sight of the cloaked guards on patrol. You can collect an Imperial Catalyst Clot in a side room by a barred window, and Special Ammunition from a cart tucked into an alcove.
At the top of a stone staircase, a door reads “This door is locked and requires Armoury Key”. That key is your target, so note the door’s location before moving on.
Climb onto the wooden scaffolding and beams above the dungeon for extra pickups: an Eternal Catalyst Clot and Pistol Ammunition on the high beams, plus more Imperial Catalyst Clots on the rafters and on stacked crates in a lower storage room. You pass directly over the guards, so stay quiet.
The notice beside the chapel entrance is titled “HEADQUARTERS’ ORDERS – SEALING OF THE CHAPEL” and bears Admiral Etienne Marcellin’s signature. It declares the Prison Chapel sealed and forbids anyone from opening its doors. The chapel entrance is locked.
Locate the guard room lit by candles; it contains a table, bottles, stools and barrels. Once the patrolling guard faces away, enter and collect the key, triggering “Armoury Key – ADDED TO INVENTORY”.
Head back to the dungeon corridor and unlock the iron gate with the key. You will see “The door was opened with Armoury Key”; beyond the gate, a narrow passage slopes downward. An Eternal Catalyst Clot lies on its floor.
Armoury Key opens iron gate. Image: One More Level / via @Shirrako
Crawl along the passage, then pass through a low gap in the wall to stay clear of the red-caped guard patrolling the corridors ahead. Beyond a barred doorway is the Armoury, stocked with musket racks, helmets and sabres. A crossed-rifles “N” emblem marks the wall, and a large red chest stands in the centre.
Lift the lid of the red chest to trigger “QUEST UPDATE: SHACKLED”. Your clothes and weapons are restored, and the sword is once again in your hand.
The sewer Lantern and finishing the chapter
With your gear restored, approach the red-caped guard in the stone corridor from behind and take him out with fire and sword. Continue downward until you reach the sewer beneath the dungeon.
A hanging hourglass Lantern shows “LANTERN REKINDLED” with an [E] REST prompt. Its menu offers LEVEL UP, TRAVEL (greyed out, with “Travel between lanterns is currently impossible.”), UPGRADE FERROFLUID FLASK and LEAVE.
From the sewer ledge, climb the wooden ladder next to the Lantern. As you ascend, “SHACKLED / CHAPTER COMPLETED” appears, confirming the chapter’s end. Beyond the ladder lies the dark sewers: webs cover the walls, flesh creatures are present, and planks conceal a lever marked [E] ACTIVATE. This passage leads into the next chapter, Reflection.
The chapter does not end at the Armoury. It only completes on the ladder past the sewer Lantern, so keep going after your gear is back.
The Choir side quest
A few seconds after you read the chapel’s sealing orders, “THE CHOIR / NEW SIDE QUEST” appears. The chapel entrance remains locked, so the side quest begins here but is not completed during your prison escape.
